LONDON, October 27. /TASS/. The European Union has become the largest buyer of Russian liquefied natural gas, even as the 19th sanctions package includes a phased ban on LNG imports from Russia, the British newspaper The Guardian reported, citing data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
According to it, from February 2022 to September 2025, the European Union imported approximately half of the LNG from Russia. China and Japan follow on the list, having purchased 22% and 18% respectively. It is noted that the European Union also became the largest buyer of Russian pipeline gas, importing about 35%. The EU is followed by China (30%) and Turkey (29%).
The Guardian emphasized that the leaders in purchasing gas of Russian origin among EU countries were Hungary, Slovakia, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
In 2024, supplies of Russian LNG to the European Union increased by 21%, reaching a record 21.5 billion cubic meters. Over the nine months of 2025, flows decreased by 7%, approaching 15 billion cubic meters.
Meanwhile, data from Eurostat and TASS calculations indicated that the EU's total purchases of Russian gas in January-August increased by 8%, reaching 9.75 billion euros. In particular, the European Union purchased Russian pipeline gas worth 4.1 billion euros and LNG worth 5.7 billion euros.